Tuesday, August 18, 2009
12 Months
What an amazing year it has been. From finally getting to meet you and hold you in our arms to trying to hold on to you as you wiggled out of our arms and made us chase after you as you learned to wobble around on your two chubby little legs. You went from giving us the biggest stares as a newborn to yelling out "Dad...Mom...Dad..." as soon as you woke up.
It has been an honor to be able to shower you with love, kisses and our undivided attention day after day. No one could have prepared us for the joy that is raising a baby during their first year. You continue to be an amazing baby-soon-to-be-toddler. As many people note - you're a chill baby. :) I love that about you. Your brain continues to work hard at figuring out this crazy world you are now a part of. You have become more and more observant with your surroundings. Everything is of interest and nothing gets by with out your little finger pointing it out.
So what are you doing since you turned 11 months?
- The biggest milestone is you are walking! You started walking about 1.5 weeks before you turned 1. You are getting better and better at walking with each passing day.
- We're introducing whole milk and working on that transition. You are very unhappy about this, but I have hope.
- You still have no teeth! But we think tooth #1 is just around the corner.
- You eat everything now! Except peanut butter and nuts which your doctor would like us to wait on until you are 2.
- You weighed in at 20lbs 4oz at your 12 month check up
- You are 29.75 inches long
- Doc says you're on the small side but perfectly proportioned and healthy. :) I think the only small thing about you is your weight. Other than that you're about the same height as other 12 month babies.
- You are now letting go on the slide and going down on your own [the big slide not the baby slide!]. It's a little scary to watch you but you are so brave and have very little fear.
- You've added some pretty bad bumps to your forehead so I was waiting on taking the 12 month picture. But now I realized that was lame because I should capture you as you are.
Unfortunately Andy, this is as far as I can report. I am writing this post 3 weeks after you turned 1 and so much has already happened that I am unsure whether you were doing things before you turned 1 or after. This just goes to show you've been keeping mama busy! I know things will only get busier as you become more and more independent and mobile, but I can't wait!
Here's to another year filled with more new and amazing memories!
<3,
Mom
1st Birthday Recap
The 2 days leading up to the big day had us on edge. You see, we had planned a nice gathering at the beach. Nothing too big or too fancy, but full of fun. 2 days before the big day the news started to tell tales about "bigger than normal" waves at the beaches and closures all around...including our beach. By Friday the closures had been lifted, but we continued to see large crowds gathering at the beaches to catch a glimpse of these "bigger than normal" waves. We worried that the beach would be too crowded and we may not even find a space big enough. Ha. Little did we know.
On Saturday, July 25th, we [us, Robert and Chris] headed out to the beach at 10am thinking this was early enough to get a good spot. We had just been there 2 weeks ago and the crowds hadn't shown up till 2pm. As we cruised down PCH we began to notice that many of the beaches already had many large groups camped out. The worrying commenced.
We parked and noticed many of the lots where either full or half-full. Not good when it was barely going to be 11am, and the evite stated 12pm as the party start time. The beach was loaded with people! The news did not lie, the waves were amazing, but not amazing enough to shut down the beach.
G found us a great spot on the beach. It was large enough for our two pop-up canopies with plenty of sunny space. So far so good. And then noon arrived and we were still the only one's there. I called my mom and they had just left the house. *breath* I was pretty ticked considering I had warned them about the crowds and she was bringing most of the food. We then began to get messages via BBM, text and twitter that people were stuck in major traffic just minutes from the beach. *breath* Did I mention there was a surf competition at the next beach down? *breath*
[Andy had a grand old time during all this. He splashed in the ocean, threw sand up in the air, watched the kites fly, etc.]
At 12:30pm our only guests arrived - G's Dad's family. Our only guests you ask? Yes, our only guests...at the beach party. What happened? Our guest began arriving one after another, after spending 1.5-2hrs in traffic, only too find all the parking lots had closed and there was no street parking for miles. At this point G & I had to make the executive decision to move the party. But to where? Ideas were thrown around....phone calls were made...in short my uncle offered up his home, complete with a pool, since everyone was in their bathing suits anyway.
Most guests followed us on this wacky adventure. Many drove another hour back to my uncle's house where we ended up with a pool party. Some stuck around at the beach and got lucky and found parking. I didn't blame them. I was more thankful they had made the trek out.
So much stress that day, but in the end Andy smashed his cake and had a great day. He could care less where we were. And that is what matters.
A HUGEMONGUSOID thank you to everyone that drove to Bolsa Chica and sat in traffic in an awesome effort to celebrate this day with us. I don't think Andy's 1st birthday will every be forgotten.
Smash Cake! I made the 3 layer cake from 4in cake molds. Topper was from Etsy seller OhMyGlueStick. Andy had little interest in eating it but he sure did a great job smashing it!
Friday, June 26, 2009
11 months
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
10 months
The problem now is that SO many new things are happening that I don't know what belongs in the 11 month post and what belongs in the 10 month post. So in short -
- you still haven't taken you're first steps
- you still have no teeth [although we are officially teething.
- you're finally holding your bottle...lazy.

- you love water. you'll chug it out of your sippy cup all day long. even better if it's out of one of those mini nursery water bottles.
- you love broccoli

- you love cheese. tortillas, bread, any CARB! I think this may bring back my chubby baby.
- you love birds

- you love dogs
- you love to kick or throw a ball
- you love to splash water

- you were baptized this month!

- you went to your first Dodger game! And you had a blast.


-And well...you're just freakin awesome.
xoxo
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
9 Months


Dear Andy,
This is such an amazing time for us. Your dad and I are having the time of our lives watching you grow and come into your own. Every day comes packed with new surprises and it's no surprise sometimes you'd rather stay up and practice your new skills rather than sleep.
Here's a list of what has happened:
- You sat up on your own! Of course it happened in your crib at bedtime. We found you playing and you were so excited that you promptly pulled yourself to a stand. We were amazed. But we quickly realized you were no longer safe and the crib mattress couldn't wait to be lowered. Unfortunately, this new "trick" really made bedtime a pain. For about a week you just wanted to play in your crib instead of going to sleeping. It would take you 2 hours to finally quit and fall asleep. But for the last 4 days you have been going to sleep after 10 min. So I think they novelty has worn off. We did have to start the "CIO" [cry it out] method since you thought it was a game. You never cried much so it wasn't hard.

- You are beginning to understand more and do things that I've been showing you forever! Like "arms up" - you now put your arms up with me! You mostly respond to just "up." You like to lift your arms to your head and then wave from there [opening and closing your hand]. It's really cute [but then again what isn't :)]. Yo top it off you sometimes say "up" when you put your arms up. That amazed me! You did it all on your own and said "up" as I was walking into the room.
- Here are the words you now say on a daily basis: mama, dad and up [along with all the other babble]. Short list but last night you said hi when the little girl waved on the tv. But that's in the 9th month so we'll leave that for the next post.
- You're also giving kisses! We say "beso" or "besito" [kiss in spanish] and you make a kiss sound. But of course, like with everything else you only do it when you want to, not really on command.
- As far as food you are eating a lot of things now. I am trying to cut away from jar food and start giving you more homemade food. Not just because jar food is probably crap [even though i do buy earth's best] but because it's also so bland! You hate a lot of it already, but if I give you the same homemade stuff you gooble it up! You're also so much better with chunkier food. YOu had a terrible gag reflex but it seems that it is gone. You like pasta cut up really small. You love crackers and those puffed gerber snacks that look like cheetos and are probably not that good for you but whatever it keeps you busy when we're out. You love those yogurt melts like crack! You like tiny cubes of cheese. And watermelon....you love that anytime. You're also eating the "sopitas" abuelita makes. You will eat some mexican rice soaked in bean juice and peeled beans. [This is what'll keep you Mexican, LOL.] And you also had the plain yogurt from Pinkberry with strawberries and loved that like crack! Only a few bites of course. Just to introduce you to more flavors.
- I'm not sure this belongs here as it happened the day you turned 9 months but you finally crawled. Only thing is I don't think you realize that you can now go anywhere you want by crawling. You will only crawl when you see something that you really want. But you are getting better at it by the day. Your dad and I totally thought you were skipping this and going straight to walking since you are also cruising on all the furniture.
- And as far as your stats - we don't have any since you just had an appt at 8 months. Won't know your stats till your 12 month appointment. But If I had to guess I would say close to 30in [by the way you fit in your carset] and maybe just around 19lbs. I feel that you've lost weight with all the growing. A pair of jeans that were beginning to fit tight are now loose. So I don't think you've really gained more weight.
- You are now riding in your new convertible carseat in my car [dad keeps the infant carseat till you've fully outgrown it - as of now we can't afford a 2nd convertible carseat]. After many months of research we decided on the Britax roundabout. It took a side-by-side comparison at babies-r-us to make the final decision. Also helped that I got the seat for $30 off thru diapers.com. You seem to like it. You definitely have a way better view now.
I think that is all for now. I mean seriously....for 1 month this is more than enough!
Andy, it is such a joy watching you grow and become more aware of the world you live in. You are always exploring and learning new things. You may not be the most smiley baby ever, but we don't mind one bit because you melt us with that intense stare you give when you're trying to figure out how something works. I know your little brain is constantly working over time trying to figure out this world. And when it matters most you give us that shy little smile that melts anyone around.

I love that you now love to cuddle in bed with us. Before you didn't want to sit still for a second, but in the mornings you will happy lay in bed in my arms while I talk to you.
This first year is just flying by. You are 3/4 of the way to your 1st birthday. I just can't believe how close it is! There are days I wish for more hours...more minutes...just to have more time with you at this stage in your life. But all we can do is soak as much in as possible with the time we do have.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Andy Stands - Video
You can also see his new trick at the end of the video where he puts his arms up when I say "up." Cutest thing. Whenever he was sitting in his highchair I always would say up and put my arms up and then say down and put them down. I was giving him dinner last night and I did it and Andy did it with me. First time. So cute. Then I tried it again when he was standing in his crib an he did it! Such a show off!
The video is almost 5 minutes. You can skip forward to about the 2 minute mark to see him stand.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
8 Months
Andy's new love is grass. He loves to feel it and cut it by the handfuls and then watch it slowly fall out of his hand.So much to say that I can list it all. But you are not a little baby anymore! You are increasingly mobile. You need to touch and feel everything. You don't just sit wherever we put you. You lunge yourself forward or sideways to reach toys or anything else that looks interesting. You're rolling all over the place. You think it's fun to roll over in your crib in an attempt to climb out. Dad doesn't agree as you gave a big scare when he thought you were napping! Time to lower the crib mattress.
Right now it's all about you trying to get somewhere. I don't know what's gonna happen when you can actually get there on your own. It's only a matter of time before you start crawling. I know you are. You like getting on your hands and knees and rocking back and forth. The thought of baby proofing our tiny apartment scares the crap outta me. It is so not kid friendly. Oh well!
You are growing like a weed! Almost out grown your infant car seat that goes up to 30 inches. You're a big boy. You're also waving now. Last night you waved to me when I put you in your crib. Silly baby. You have also been seen clapping - a rumor to me but apparently "others" have witnessed it.
Andy, I can't wait to see where this month takes us.
Friday, February 27, 2009
7 Months

Andres - You amaze me everyday. From 6 months on you have changed so much! You are totally becoming your own little person. Your personality is flourishing as you better understand the world around you. I kept saying you are not an infant anymore. You are a baby on the verge of become a toddler.
You are constantly babbling and laughing and smiling. You have become shy around strangers. When a stranger says hello you smile and then turn your head all shy. It's really cute. You wake up almost every morning repeating "da-da." You have no idea what joy this brings your dad. He is enamored with you and wants to spend every free second playing with you.
Speaking of - dad has this game he plays with you. It involves a 3-2-1 countdown and him lifting you into the air like a spaceship taking off. Complete with sounds effects. You LOVE this. He will stand you up on his legs or any sturdy surface and you will be completely distacted, but as soon as you hear the phrase, "Baby robot, ready for take off," you stop and get completely still. You then get the biggest grin on your face as soon as the countdown starts. You know this game and you love it. you know that after the 3-2-1 countdown you will be lifted into the air. You wait for this moment, and when dad takes too long you close your eyes and squeel in anticipation. Your brain is definitely starting to make memories.
You are smart, alert, and are constantly exploring your surroundings. You don't just like at a moving object, you try and figure out what is making that object move. Is it a hand? A foot? A string? You have such an intense focus sometimes. You are absorbing every piece of information into your little brain.
You are definitely trying to be more mobile. You are already completely independent. I can sit you down anywhere and you won't freak out if I leave you with others. When you are in our arms you start to push off and moving your legs to try to wiggle out of our arms. I don't think you realize you can't move with out us. For this reason I would like you to learn to crawl. I know you will be much happier if you can move on your own. You seem to stay on your belly more now, so maybe crawling is in your future after all.
Other stuff going on - you still have no teeth. I highly doubt you'll cut a tooth anytime soon.
You love banging toys on anything that will make a loud bang.
You don't really like drinking out of your sippy cup but you love chugging down water from a regular cup! Even out of a water bottle. I knew you were learning this when you'd give me that intense stare whenever I would drink out of a cup in front of you.
You are not satisfied staring at different objects anymore. You have to touch everything. You try everything possible to get your hands on things. This is making eating out kinda hard.
So many things every day! I just love watching you become an individual. I'll just have to post more often to get it all recorded.
xoxo
Monday, January 26, 2009
6 Months!

- You can stand alone for a few seconds when leaning against something.
- Your sitting in shopping carts now! You love the new view.
- Blowing Raspberries [started about 2 weeks ago]
- You are also popping your jaw which freaks me out. You seem to enjoy it.
- Making more sounds. Using "m" and "n" and "d" adding to your "a" and "g"
- You love to grab your feet whenever possible and you are starting to suck on your toes.
- You also seem to hate socks and rub your feet together until the come off.
- You are definitely turning when we call your name. You respond better to "Andres" than "Andy" I think I gonna stop using "Andy" so I don't confuse you.
- You roll from back to belly but still refuse to roll from belly to back. We work on this every day now.
- You are in the process of cutting your first bottom tooth so you are desperately sucking on everything! I hope this tooth comes in this month because we for sure thought it would cut thru last month, and you have been very unhappy the last 3 days.
- You can hold small objects between your thumb and index finger. I have a necklace I wear that has a round charm the size of a cheerio and you focus really hard and pick it up. [i just read you're suppose to do this at 8 months. Maybe you're working on these things instead of trying to roll over]
- I think you'll be right handed. You definitely give preference to that side.
- You pass objects from hand to hand.
- For a month now you have been picking up your pacifier and putting it in your mouth with no help.
Yeah I could go on.. but you're basically doing everything you should be at 6 months except rolling over. You really don't like this. But you will!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
5 Months!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Happy 3 Months!
It's almost 1am and I'm barely getting a chance to post, so this will be quick. I'll also have to post again because my brother refused to edit the pictures he took of Andy today. So that'll be another post.
Today...wait...yesterday Andy turned 3 months old. How time flies. We are now:
- sitting on our own...falling over so you need pillows.
- drinking 4-5oz of formula every 3-4hrs
- not sleeping thru the night..although you did drop a night feeding.
- everyone says you are chubbier and bigger than a few weeks ago...I suppose I agree.
- You love smiling and laughing out loud with your Tia Nancy. She's so funny when she sings the Itsy Bitsy Spider.
- you are currently taking power naps thru out the day [about 30min each], but you
- You go to sleep for the night between 7-9pm, wake up to eat between 2-4am, and then again between 6-8am.
- you have this crazy internal alarm that wakes you about 10 mins before 7am. It's pretty reliable...except when I need it. You slept in the day I was counting on you. :) Sleep is nice though.
- You're favorite book is Guess How Much I Love You, although 8 Silly Monkey's is a close second. It's great how much you love being read to. You can be fussy and upset, but as soon as I start reading and you see the book...you're a happy camper.
- I think you're officially over wide neck bottles.
- You have been wearing size 3-6 months for almost a month now. Some 3-6 months [Old Navy] are already getting tight!
- You're tiny feet have grown a size...growing out of size 1.
- You're baby hair is falling out like crazy!
- Could be due to the cradle cap. But I rub 100% pure olive oil on your head on brush of the dry skin. I think Aveeno did this to you [even though they say it isn't caused by allergies]. We are back to solely using California Baby products.
- You are definitely making eye contact with people you know, and not so much with those you don't. Sorta funny that you show preference.
- You are playing more with your toys and bringing everything up to your mouth.
- You found your hands about a week ago. I found you in the morning staring at your hands. It was cute!
- If left on your side you will unwillingly roll onto your belly. Since you hate tummy time this really makes you mad.
- Your head and neck are very strong now. We can lift you over our heads and you keep your head up and look at your surroundings.
- You're legs are also very strong, ever since your 2 month check-up you have been grasping our hands and lifting yourself up. You will even stand for a bit.
- You are also developing a temper. You're still the best baby ever but it's pretty entertaining when you get upset. We can really distinguish your different cries now.
I guess I had a lot to say! I'm sure there is more, but this is all I can think of at 1:15am. Good night!
13w2d
Monday, October 6, 2008
Milestone: Laughter & Gripping/Reaching
One word: Amazing!
I can't even begin to describe what it is like to see your little creation grow before your eyes.
Today Andy got a bath.
Today Andy laughed out loud while in his bath.
It was the funniest moment. We put him in his bath and began pouring water over his body. G accidentally splashed a little water on Andy's face. I laughed a little and began to wipe his face and suddenly Andy was laughing. That baby chuckle that happens over and over. G and I looked at each other in amazement and began to laugh. As soon as we laughed Andy stopped. But as soon as we stopped he started up again. It was crazy considering we weren't expecting this milestone for another month or two. I mean every book/website says that babies don't laugh until their 3rd or 4th month. I now wonder if this was a one time thing or if he'll continue. He definitely wasn't freaked out by the sound of his laughter. We'll see!
Andy is also reaching for things and gripping. I have put some of those plastic, colorful rings on his car seat and his bouncer. We were at lunch today and he began reaching for the rings in his car seat. He would actually grip them and bring them up to his mouth.
These are amazing milestones. Early milestones. Add this on to the way he "talks" back to G and the fact that he now sticks out his tongue thanks to me (I did it as a test to see if he would mimic me and he did!)....I think we have one smart baby on our hands! I felt a wave of panic for a second today thinking that this cannot be ignored. We must feed the brain! I need more stimulating toys! I need to spend more time playing with Andy and reading to him! I can't ever go back to work! LOL! I wish.
10w1d
(2m1w2d)
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
8 Weeks
- He knows G and I. We are the only people he will instantaneously smile to at first sight. G is loving this as Andy gives him a huge grin when he gets home from work.
- Size 1 diapers are becoming increasingly tight. I wonder how much he weighs since size 1 should fit up to 12lbs. I've also used some size 1-2 diapers (got a box at our baby shower) and although those should work up to 14lbs they aren't much better.
- Speaking of growing - he is currently fitting perfectly in size 0-3 clothes. I don't think he'll make it another month in this size. I'm already preparing the 3-6 clothes. Size 3 from Carters fits good right now with a bit of room to grow.
- He's eating 5oz at least 1 feeding a day.
- We had a few nights where Andy skipped a night feeding sleeping from 9pm-3am. It was great (and would've been greater if we went to bed before midnight) but its been 4 days since he last did that. So yeah. Lately, he must be going thru a growth spurt because he is eating every 2 hours. That sucks at night.
- The cold I gave him is still lingering. He has developed a mild cough and is still pretty congested. He sleeps longer when propped up on the boppy or a pillow on the couch with us. He doesn't sleep more than 30 min in the bouncer so I don't even try that. The cutest thing - he use to get so mad when I put the saline drops down his nose, but now he fights it for a few seconds, notices he can breath easier, and then smiles at me. I love it. He's such a smart guy! He even smiles after I suction out his boogers. :)
- He also has more controlled movements of his arms. When his nose is stuffed up he puts his little fists up to his nose in an attempt to rub it. Cute and sad at the same time.
2 month mark is just around the corner! Time flies, indeed.
8 weeks 2 days
(1 month 3 weeks 6 days)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Happy 1 Month Birthday!

Today, Andres turns 1 month. We'll have to settle for this crappy cell phone picture. I'm a bad mother and still can't find my camera charger cables and have not bought a new camera or borrowed someone else. Tomorrow I'm stopping by my parent's house to use their camera. But of course tomorrow he'll be 1 month and 1 day. Unless...I take the picture before 6:07pm...when he was born...then he'll still be 1 month! Ha!
Anyway...
Happy birthday Andres. This morning you goo'd for the first time. I was very excited. It happened while I was changing your diaper. You also smiled at me for the first time. It wasn't your usual drowsy half asleep smile. You actually looked at me and then smiled. I almost cried. You did it twice. :-) And then I did cry when I was cutting your thumb nail and pinched your skin accidentally. I felt SO bad!! You got all sad and were about to cry, but I held you tight and appologized [and cried] and you were fine. I just felt terrible. Sorry...again. Today you also decided you weren't going to nap and eat on your normal schedule. As a result you have been a very fussy boy today. But of course, it's your day and you need as much attention as possible. I see where this is headed.
Next Tuesday we find out how much you have grown in a month...well...more like in 5 weeks. I'm sure you'll be past the 8lbs mark. Your clothes fit you so good now. I really can't see how the 0-3 month clothes is gonna make it to 3 months at the rate you're growing. Hopefully you slow down because you still have a lot of cute clothes to wear! I think you might be going thru another growth spurt. For the last 2 days you have been gobbling down 4 oz of formula and not your usual 2.5 - 3 oz. Crazy guy.
Your receding hairline is also getting worse....as seen in the picture above. You look like a little man with that hair do! And your double chin is only getting worse as you fatten up. But I love all your new little rolls...on your arms and legs. So cute! I wanna eat you up!
You are now reacting to the sound of our voices. You try to turn to where the sound is coming from....you look for dad and I. It's awesome. We get so excited. Especially when you are looking at one of us and the other comes in the room and starts talking and you turn to look. You're totally not a newborn anymore! Amazing how fast you grow. Abuelita also gets super excited when she talks to you and you turn to look at her. You did it for the first time during your fever hospital stay, but now you do it all the time.
Amazing is the word of the day.
I can't believe how fast a month has gone by. Seriously doesn't feel like that long. In 6 short weeks our time together at home will be over. I'll be returning to work then, but we don't have to think about that now. Your dad and I truely cherish every second with you. Everyday you suprise us with something new, and everyday you grow and change so much. Your dad and I have to learn to put you down and let you be on your own. It's hard, but you need to hang out on your own too. But I never stop talking you. I make sure you don't get bored.
So here's to many many more months to come. I just ask one favor of you, Andres - don't grow up too fast...please. :-x
1 month
[4 weeks 3 days]








